The almost total and complete binding integration of Canadian power with United States industry is being sinisterly planned and brazenly executed fully in the open and with the active and complete participation of the Western Canadian Premiers of Campbell, Stelmach, Wall and Doer and with the full knowledge and support of the federal Harper regime. It is a treasonous act and must be exposed and condemned by all Canadian patriots. It must be halted!
Plans are well underway to create a massive western power grid called the Western Interconnection[1] that stretches from the northern regions of Alberta and BC to the deep south of the western US and into Mexico. Saskatchewan and Manitoba are also drawing up plans to supply power into the grid from Manitoba’s massive hydro potential and Saskatchewan’s uranium supplies through the construction of nuclear power generation facilities.
The joint initiative between the Western Governors’ Association (WGA) and the United States Department of Energy (DOE) plans to bring Canadian power supplies under the jurisdiction of Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) by dividing the Western Interconnection into Western Renewable Energy Zones (WREZ). The plans are outlined in detail in the Western Renewable Energy Zones – Phase 1 Report.[2]
The report outlines four objectives that the joint initiative is to achieve and which was the focus of three days of meetings at the Western Governors’ Association 2009 Annual Meeting, Park City, Utah on June 14 - 16, 2009. The main plenary session was entitled “Tapping the West’s Renewable Energy Potential”. Also on the agenda at the meeting was the topic “Managing Water in a Changing World”. The four Western Canadian Premiers attended the event. Manitoba Premier Doer said, "The reality is we're all producers of energy, we're all sellers of energy into western United States, and into the mid-western United States,"[3]
The 2006 Western Governors' Association Policy Resolution 06-10, “Clean and Diversified Energy for the West” states that:
“This resolution included a series of recommendations to meet the objectives of adding 30,000 megawatts of clean energy to the West by 2015, increasing energy efficiency by 20% by 2020, and providing 25 years of secure, reliable transmission.”
WGA Policy Resolution 09-1 was the outcome[4]. Among other recommendations it lays the basis for long-term uninterrupted supply of clean energy to the Western United States. It also recommended that the Western Renewable Energy Zones – Phase 1 Report was to be completed. Resolution 09-1 states that the Western United States governors “believe” that the United States must:
“Ensure that energy costs are affordable for consumers and support a sustainable, growing economy (in the US no mention of Canada - ed.) and increase the proportion of our energy supplies that come from domestic resources and friendly trading partners (Canada, who else has the energy and you can’t transmit power across the ocean – ed.)”
In the sweeping Policy Resolution, 09-1 went on to say that US energy development must be through a comprehensive national framework with an “aggressive timeframe” with an energy development and supply infrastructure designed to avoid interruptions. The resolution addressed nuclear power as the fundamental “base load” supply and called on the US federal government to act aggressively to meet the targets in the resolution. The Canadian Western Premiers all have detailed knowledge of the scope and breadth of the document and what the implications are for Canada. To deny this would be to lie.
Of the total identified 8452 MW of hydro power capacity potential in the WREZ’s Alberta and BC accounted for 7892 MW or 93% of the total. BC alone accounts for 72% of all “Western” hydro resources. Total wind power capacity in Western Interconnection was estimated to be 95,219 MW. Alberta and BC accounted for 18,372 MW or 19.2% of the total. Of the total Western Interconnection identified capacity (solar, geothermal, hydro and wind) of 198,789 MW Canada accounted for 14% of the total. It must be noted that the vast majority of power is identified as coming from solar in California but the most reliable and most easily accessible is Canadian hydro. And of the total hydro potential, Canada accounts for the majority. BC “shares” a zone with Washington State increasing its share even further.
The report was completed with the help of Canadian Geothermal Energy Association. The report noted that, “British Columbia voluntarily provided a hub on the British Columbia-Washington border to the WREZ process. This represents a 16,000 gigawatt-hour per year shaped energy product that British Columbia could provide to load serving entities (LSEs) at the border.”
What is clear is that there is widespread support and collusion from Canadian authorities for the supply of cheap Canadian power to the US Governors and willingness from those same authorities and elected officials to supply US energy needs first.
The first objective of the initiative is to identify the WREZ throughout the Western Interconnection that feature the” potential for large scale development of renewable resources”. The report identifies and characterizes “resource-rich” areas “screening out” those areas “where development is prohibited or severely constrained by geography, regulation or statues”. The report went on to say that the initiative will further refine WREZ’s and continue to work towards “implementing additional screens that balance the benefits of renewable energy development with the need to protect wildlife and crucial habitat.”
Secondly the report is the culmination of evaluation for the “various transmission strategies”. Relative economic cost models from source to “load centres” have been developed which will be used calculate power delivery potential across each WREZ. Detailed maps have been developed that show hydro, wind, geothermal and solar potential.
Black and Veatch (B&V) the giant international engineering firm was contracted to complete the study and map the findings. Interestingly enough B&V CEO Len C. Rodman will be a keynote speaker at the Sustainable Water Solutions for Cities forum at the Water Leaders Summit, part of the second annual Singapore International Water Week, which is to be held on 22-26 June 2009.[5]
Thirdly the report “recognizes” that regional development should be completed in “concert” with more “localized” efforts. This suggestion that the WGA and the DOE will work towards municipal efforts at energy development is particularly troubling. With Canada-US agreements on “trade” through NAFTA, SPP and now interconnected with the Western Canadian province’s TILMA the picture is coming more into focus.
Finally the report stated that, “[the initiative] will undertake a range of efforts to lay the foundation for promoting the efficient regional development, procurement and delivery of energy from renewable resource areas to multiple population centers throughout the Western Interconnection”. This is the long-term plan which envisages a massive power grid connecting Canada, the US and Mexico.
Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach lauding the plans said, “They know that we have an excellent opportunity as neighbours on the North American continent to co-operate,”
Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer and Vice Chair of the WGA commenting on Stelmach’s remarks said that the oil sands are a critical component of US energy security. Echoing Governor Schweitzer’s remarks Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter agreed, saying "it's both western parts of Canada and the United States that can play a role in energy independence." Who’s energy independence?
"The most important energy corridor on the planet is no longer the Persian Gulf. It runs from the oilsands, Fort Mc-Murray to Port Arthur, Texas," Schweitzer said. "A large part of energy independence is going to be dependent upon developing the oilsands."
What is plainly evident from all this chatter is, that large scale plans are being rapidly implemented for the exploitation of Canadian energy resources to bolster a flagging and depleted US energy industry all in an attempt to bring the US out of depression on the backs of Canadian workers. This is all being done without the least consideration for Canadian needs or national development and all with the full knowledge and active participation of our treasonous Western Premiers (or maybe it should be said, the Western Canadian Governors).
What is needed in response to these unpatriotic acts is a national energy and labour policy that develops Canadian industry from east to west. Western Canadian labour federations have a particular important role to play in mobilizing opposition to this blatant and brazen sell-out of Canadian sovereignty. The AFL has made a good start with its research papers and policy statements on Alberta oilsands development but they are inadequate to meet the frenzied theft of Canadian resources by big US energy, finance and engineering monopolies in alliance with the Western Premiers and the Harper regime.
Organized labour is the only impediment that can halt this sell-out. All patriotic forces are called upon to take up this question and elevate it to the national level in conjunction with the Canadian Labour Congress, the CAW and the CEP and placed as the centre piece of a new Canadian labour and national development program - lest Canada is permanently relegated to little more than a country of pick axes, shovels and saws.
Notes
[1] The Western Interconnection is the name of the electricity grid that includes the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming; the part of Texas near El Paso; the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia; and a small portion of northern Mexico in Baja California. It is overseen by the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC).
[2] Western Governor’s Association and the US Dept. of Energy, “Western Renewable Energy Zones - Phase 1 Report”, June 2009, http://www.westgov.org/wga/publicat/WREZ09.pdf
[3] Jason Fekete, “Western premiers tout energy corridor at US conference”, Calgary Herald, June 15, 2009
[4] WGA, “Policy Resolution 09-1, Energy Policy, Renewable Energy and Transmission for the West”, http://www.westgov.org/wga/policy/09/index.htm
[5] Black & Veatch, “Black and Veatch reveals forum keynote speakers”, http://www.processingtalk.com/news/bla/bla161.html
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